Weaving



Patented Feb. 2, 1943 WEAVIN G Boy E. Burdett, Lawrence, Mass., assignor to. Pacific Mills, Lawrence, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April l5, 1940, Serial No. 329,666

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in reeds for looms and to methods of weaving fabrics and to a novel fabric. As illustrated herein, the invention relates more particularly to reeds for use in weaving fabrics having relatively coarse decorative warp threads and relatively line ground Warp threads and to a fabric of such threads.

The weaving of fabrics, wherein relatively coarse decorative float threads having oating sections, which are later cut olf to form a decorative tuft or pile from that section of the deco.- rative warp thread which has been woven into the fabric, has heretofore been attended with various difficulties. The heavy or coarse decorative warp threads displaced the ground Warp threads andl Caused thin points in the fabric adjacent to the ends of the sections of the heavy decorative warp threads woven into the fabric. These thin points were the result of lateral displacement of the ground warp threads by the decorative warp threads at these points. As a result of this later-a1 displacement, it was not possible immediately to bring the adjacent ground warp thread into alignment with the decorative warp threads. These thin spots at the ends of the woven decorative Warp sections detracted materially from the appearance of the Woven fabric.

Fabrics, of the type above referred to, have in the past been woven on looms provdedwith reeds having uniformly spaced dents or, in case the decorative warp threads were coarse, with a dent or dents removed to provide a double dent space for receiving the decorative warp thread. In either case, the thin points adjacent to the following or rear end of the woven decorative warp thread section were not eliminated.' By the use of a double, or greater, width dent space, the thin points became even more apparent. The sole advantage gained by the use of this double width dent was the prevention of excessive thread breakage Iparticularly when a coarse decorative Warp thread and a fine ground warp thread were located in the same double width dent space.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved reed for use in looms lby ywhich the above mentioned diiculties will be overcome. As illustrated herein, the reed is provided with a plurality of sections having uniformly spaced parallel dents, the various ,sections being separated by a space substantially greater than the space between `adjacent dents in the sections, the dent at the outer end of each section being provided with a portion which is offset .or `bent laterally into the wide dent space between the sections which -provides means for forcing a ground warp thread substantially into alignment with the coarse-decorative Warp thread thereby prevent.- ingl theforrnation of thin points at the following ends of each of the woven decorative warp sec.- tions.

Further objects of `the invention are to provide an improved method of weaving fabrics, and a fabric, whereby the thin :points in the fabric will be substantially eliminated. To this end, one feature 0f the invention resides in an improved method ,of weaving fabrics which includes weaving decorative warp.` threads into a fabric, disconf tinuing the weaving of vthe decorative Warp threads .at spaced intervals, and forcing ground warp. threads. into. alignment with the woven decorative warp threads between successive decorative Warp. Weavingoperations.

With the above and otherobjects and features in view, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention and in which:

Fig., 1 is a view infront elevation of a reed illustratinga preferred embodiment of the present invention.;

Fig. 2 .is aplan View, on a somewhat enlarged scale, of ajsecton of .fabric Wovon by the use of the illustrated reed;

Fig. V3 is a similar View of a `fabric woven by the useof a reed common in the prior art:

Fig. 4 is a view section taken along the line .li-4 of Fis. 2.; and

Fig. 5 isa View .in section taken alone; the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The reed 1 0 of the present .invention is made up of a plurality of Sections L2 having equally spaced dents :i4 Wlloll aro .Secured at their upper and lowerends-to horizontal frames lo, I8. The ends of the dents ,I4 eroseourool .in spaced position in the frames I6 and bl, in any woll known manner andere straight from ond to ond- Each section I2 is spac d from its adjacent sections is substantially Vgerater than djacent reeds of the various sections. K

It is to be noted, Fie.. l, that the dont 22 at the outer endof each section 2 iS provided with a laterally extending vor offset portion v24 adiaeent to, the lower endthereoi which projects into the Wide dent space ,2.0. .offset portion ..24 is located in the same general plane Vas the other dents it so that a smoothovon Y,Surfaoo is formed on the reed. The laterally projecting portion 2.4 Vof the dent 122,15 arranged during the beating in operation to engage -a ground warp thread 2S and to force it outwardly away from the center of the fabric to bring the ground warp thread 2t substantially into alignment with a coarse decorative warp thread 28 which is located in the same dent. This displacing or camming of the ground warp thread will be described more fully hereinafter. It is customary ,in weaving fabrics with relatively long floating decorative warp thread sections to locate the ground warp thread 26 and the decorative warp thread 28 in the same dent space or opening in order that these two threads may be aligned as nearly as possible. The uniform dent spaces are each arranged to receive a ground warp thread 3D. Since these warp threads 3B are not displaced to any appreciable extent by the coarse decorative warp threads, it is not necessary to provide any means for forcing them away from the center of the reed or fabric and toward the outer edge thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 3 which shows a portion of a fabric woven by the use of an old type of reed, it will be noted that a coarse decorative warp thread 32 is provided with a section which is woven into the fabric and which is provided at each side with ground warp threads 34. It is to be noted that the forward or leading end 3@ of the woven section 32 does not have a thin spot of any appreciable extent. This is due to the fact that the adjacent ground warp threads 34 are locked in position during the weaving operation and are not displaced outwardly until the leading end 36 of the decorative warp thread 32 is being woven into the fabric. When, however. the weaving operation is completed on that section of the cloth in which the decorative warp 32 is woven, the threads 34 are displaced later-- ally and, unless some means is provided for forcing one or the other of these threads 34 into alignment with the decorative warp thread 32, a substantial space or opening 38 is formed, since with the old type of reed it is not possible to bring the ground warp threads 34 or one of them immediately into alignment with the decorative warp thread 32. The cloth illustrated in Fig. 3 was woven on an old and well known type of reed wherein no means was provided for forcing the ground warp threads 34 substantially into alignment with the tufts of decorative warp thread section 32. While this thin spot or opening 3S may not extend over more than six or eight filling picks, this is sufficient to detract materially from the appearance of the finished fabric.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 4 and 5, it will be noted that in Fig. 2 there is illustrated a plurality of coarse decorative warp thread sections 4i! of the coarse decorative warp thread 28 which are woven into the fabric. The leading or forward end 42 of each of these thread sections 4D does not have any appreciable thin spot nor does the following or rear end 44 of the thread section 43 have any appreciable thin spot or opening. It will be noted that the warp ground thread 2t adjacent to the following end 44 of the floating decorative warp section 40 is forced toward the left and into alignment with the deco rative warp section 4S so that only a very small opening or thin spot 41 is formed. In fact, this thin spot 4l is so small that it is not readily discernible particularly after the cloth has been finished. AfterV one or two filling threads have been woven into the fabric, the ground warp threads, which threads would ordinarily have been displaced by the coarse warp thread, are locked in position and weaving is continued with all of the ground warp threads uniformly spaced from one another so that no appreciable thin spots are formed in the fabric.

The forcing of the ground warp thread 26 toward the left, as shown in Fig. 2, is accomplished by the offset section 24. That is to say, as the warp shed changes, the ground warp thread 26 will be cammed toward the left and will be held in that position by the offset portion 24 during the weaving operation.

The ground warp threads 26 have been described above as being forced to the left by the oiset Aportions 24 of the dents 22. This is true only in that portion of the fabric which is located at the left of the center of the fabric. It is evident that the ground warp threads 25 which are located at the right of the center of the fabric are forced toward the right by the offset portions 24 of the dents 22. In other words, the ground warp threads 26 are forced outwardly toward the edges of the fabric and away from the center thereof.

It is apparent that when a particularly heavy decorative warp thread is used it may Substantially fill the wide dent space or opening 2Q adjacent to the -oiset portion 24. The dent space 20 is wider at the top and bottom so that the coarse decorative warp thread 28 and the ground warp thread 26, when in these wide spaces, are free to move relatively to each other without excessive rubbing, thus reducing the friction on the warp threads and materially reducing Warp breakage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A fabric having interwoven ground warp and lling threads and a decorative warp thread interwoven at intervals with filling threads and at other intervals overlying a group of filling threads, the ground warp threads adjacent the decorative thread lying beside the decorative thread where it is interwoven with filling threads and lying under and in approximate alignment with the decorative thread immediately where it leaves the weave at both ends of the interwoven .part of the decorative thread, whereby the fabric is free from openness in the weave thereat.

2. A fabric having interwoven ground warp and lling threads and a decorative warp thread interwoven at intervals with filling threads and at other intervals overlying a group of filling threads, the decorative thread taking the position that otherwise would be occupied by a normal ground warp thread whereby there are more warp threads in the Weave of the fabric when the decorative thread is interwoven in the fabric than when the decorative thread overlies a group of lling threads, the decorative warp thread and the next adjacent ground warp thread lying side by side in the fabric where the decorative thread is in the weave and said next 'adjacent ground warp thread being displaced laterally from such described position at the nextfilling thread following the exit of the decorative thread from the weave and into a position generally in line with the line of the decorative thread in the weave.

3. A fabric having interwoven ground warp and filling threads and a decorative Warp thread interwoven at intervals with filling threadsand at other intervals overlying a vgroup of lling threads, the decorative thread taking the position that otherwise would be occupied by a normal ground warp thread whereby there are more warp threads in the weave of the fabric when the decorative thread is interwoven in the fabric than when the decorative thread overlies a group of lling threads, the decorative warp thread and the next adjacent ground Warp thread lying side by side in the fabric where the decorative thread is in the weave and said next adjacent ground warp thread being displaced laterally from such described position at the next lling thread following the exit of the decorative thread from the weave and into a position generally in line with the line of the decorative thread in the weave, and the ground warp thread next to said next adjacent ground warp thread being also displaced laterally in the same direction.

4. A fabric having interwoven ground warp and lling threads and decorative warp threads interwoven at intervals with lling threads and at other intervals overlying a group of filling threads, the ground warp threads being displaced laterally at the sections of the fabric where the decorative warp threads are interwoven, the ground warp threads adjacent to the decorative warp threads being substantially equally spaced from each other between and up to the ends of successive interwoven decorative warp sections and with aground warp thread in substantial lalignment with the woven section of each of the decorative warp threads.

ROY E. BURDETT. 

